This is my kind of comfort food.

Whenever the weather is a bit chilly, or when I am just feeling down, nothing else really gets my tummy and heart warmed up than rice and gravy. I was searching for something to do with chicken thighs, and I came across this Braised Herb Chicken with Shio Koji recipe on Just One Cookbook. Nothing that I’ve replicated from Nami’s website has disappointed my family, and I was sure this was going to be no different. But, what is Shio Koji and where can I find it?

Shio Koji is a fermented mixture of Japanese rice malt and sea salt. It looks like porridge and tastes a little salty with a mild sweetness, and is used to substitute salt in various dishes. In this recipe, Nami uses it as a marinade for chicken thighs. I have a good mind to use it on top of salmon before airfrying the next time! I like it, but the taste is so mild, I still added a bit of salt to the dish. I found mine at the chiller section of Sakuraya Fish Mart at West Coast Plaza for $5. Read more about shio koji here.

I tweaked the recipe a little because I ran out of white wine. I used mirin instead as I like my dishes sweet and savoury. I also thickened the gravy with cornstarch solution so that it is rich and thick, perfect for spooning over rice. Look at this picture that Jason took with his phone! The lighting is bad, but it looks so comforting and delicious:

I hope you try this out and wow your family!

This dish is pretty simple to make.. just use one frying pan throughout and layer the flavours on top of one another, adding as you go along. The yellow onions lend a very nice sweetness to the gravy and the rosemary is just a perfect match with chicken. I love chunky potatoes and carrots in my braised dishes. They’re magic together!

I wish I had more parsley.. I think you should add it! Be sure to serve this hot over warm and slightly softer rice. I guarantee you will enjoy this recipe this time, and on many, many other occasions to come!

(Recipe adapted from Just One Cookbook with slight changes.)

The post Braised Herb Chicken with Shio Koji appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Anyway. I read about the addition of tuna from Nami’s site and just knew that I had to try it. According to her, the tuna adds an extra savoury flavour and I thought, why not? I was already cooking my white stew with carnation milk instead of whipping cream to lower the dairy and fat.. I could do with a richer sauce!

The list of ingredients make it seem like a lot of work, but it is just really about chopping them up before hand. Most of the work gets done in a single pan so you get very little clean up which is major plus for me. If you prefer a richer flavour, you may use heavy whipping cream in place of carnation milk. For variation, add corn kernels or peas if that’s your thing. I liked the addition of tuna and will make this again!

The post White Stew with rice appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

My brother’s helper, Lyn (who has put on 10kg since she started working for us), recognised the aroma floating through the air instantly when she entered my home. “Adobo!” she exclaimed excitedly as she dropped her keys on the table and dashed right into the kitchen. Ok, I am exaggerating a bit here. How to “dash” to the kitchen from the door when we’re living in a 4-room HDB flat? The distance 就那几步罢了。Haha.

She said in their household, they normally cut the chicken into smaller pieces but there are also some families who cook with whole chicken thighs. I quite regret that I didn’t have the chance to offer her a piece of this chicken.. they were not yet ready. But what if she 嫌弃 my “not authentic” adobo chicken? Authentic or not, we were quite pleased with these.. the flavour was very “heavy” with the use of vinegar and amount of soy sauce. It isn’t a taste we’re quite used to but it definitely tasted delicious!

——————————————————————

The original recipe called for broiling.. I didn’t have a broiler oven and didn’t think to use my airfryer and I really should have! Going by how chicken works wonders with the airfryer, I can imagine how delicious it would be! I will try making this with a bit of added sugar next time to balance out the taste. I do see alot of other recipes with added sugar and I even came across one with Sprite. If you cook adobo often, let me know your favourite way to prepare it! With or without sugar?

The post Chicken Adobo appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

There is an interesting story behind Mapo Tofu , literally translated as “Pock Mark Lady’s Tofu”. The Mapo Tofu we have here in Singapore is usually very spicy, with Szechuan chili oil used so liberally you would have thought they were free. We’re not fans of chili oil, so when eating out, we always order “Hotplate Tofu” instead– deep fried egg tofu, vegetables and cracked egg covered with non-spicy brown sauce, served on a sizzling hotplate.

So when I came across this Mapo Tofu which didn’t look too intimidating, heat-wise, I decided to have a go at it. The ingredients are basic and low cost, and the dish looks incredibly delicious over rice. My family loved it.

Makes 3-4 servings
(Adapted from Just One Cookbook with slight changes)

What I used:

1 block tofu, cut into cubes like in the picture (I used Unicurd brand “Chinese Tofu“)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
150g minced pork (you can use chicken)
2 sprigs of spring onions, cut thinly with scissors
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce (combine everything together):

2 tablespoon chili bean paste
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
Half teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water (about 65ml)

1. Heat up the oil and fry ginger and garlic til fragrant. Add the minced meat and quickly break it up with your spatula or wooden spoon.
2. When the meat is no longer pink, add in the sauce. Stir to combine.
3. Add the tofu and briefly mix. Don’t break up the tofu or touch it too much. Heat through for 1-2 minutes til you see small bubbles in the pan.
4. Turn off the heat and sprinkle spring onions before serving.

How much I spent:

$0.75 for tofu
$1.50 for minced meat
Everything else from my pantry!

Total cost per serving: $0.57

——————————————————————

This dish can be served straight over rice in a large bowl, along with a simple clear soup. It is so easy to make, I’m sure I’ll see it more often during dinner, especially on days when I’m not too creative or just plain lazy!

The post Mapo Tofu with mild spicy bean paste appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.